Centering method for shells.



G. R. WASEIGE.

CENIERING METHOD FOR SHELLS. APPLICATlON man APR.24. \917.

1,285,503. Patented Nov. 19,1918.

I 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

C. R. WASElGE.

CENTERING METHOD FOR: SHELLS.

APPLXCATIQN FILED APR.24. I917.

1,285,503. Patented Nov. 19, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- FFTQE.

CHARLES RAYMOND WASEIGE, .0]? COURIBEVOIE, FRANCE, ASSIGNOR T0 SOCIET'E DES AUTOMOBILES ALIDA, 0F COURBEVOIE, FRANCE.

cnivr'nnrnor METHOD FOR SHELLS;

Application filed April 24, 1917.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLEs RAYMOND integral .bases, is accompaniedby great. drawbacks as concerns the turning 'of'the" outside of the shell so that it. will be concentric with the inside. The various mechanical centering methods now in use do,

not always give 'sutficiently exact results, and the resulting shells are sometimes found tohave an eccentricity between inside and outside which is greater than the standard limits.

The present invention provides a physical method for obtaining a mathematically ex act centering of the inside of theshell'. This method consists essentially in'the use of a shell which-is supposed to be in the rough state on the outside, the shell'being filled with colored water up toabout .half its volume, and in the'shell orifice there is inserted a hollow stopper ending in a glass plate. The shell is mounted in a lathe, and the boss or nipple of the base is placed upon the headstock point ofthe lathe, while the' pointed end of the shellis held within an adjustable circular h0ldermounted on "the lathe. The variations of the water level in the shell are observed by means of a marking point while the shell is rotated by hand upon the lathe point. The position in which the water level is highest corresponds to a thickened place in the she'll, andif the adjustable circular holder is acted upon so as to make the water level remain the same "in all posi tions of the shell, the thickness of the shell will be quite uniform aften'the shell is turned off on the outside.'--

In order to operate in themost convenient manner, a device is employed" which" com-' prises a hollow stopper which is inserted in the shell orifice, and in this stopper is fitted a tube having a rubber ball on the endfnext the shell and adapted to slidewithin-the stopper; the other "end'of thetube opens into the hollowed portion of a suitable'suppo'rt which is mounted on the steady rest or upon the body of the lathe. This tube is fitted specification or Lettrsratni? Patented :Nov'Qie, eis'.

witha steel ball which connects it with the l support but forms a joint which allows of a certain amount of movement, this joint being made tight by a stufiing box. The hollow portion of the support has an opening at the I top for filling the shell with l1qu1d,and this interior portion is connected with a water-level tube which is inclinedat a one-tenth angle and designed to facilitate the observation of the water level within the shelland to amplify the variations of this level which occur in rotating the shell upon the lathe point. I

After having centered the shell by the use of the adjustable circular holder, the apparatus is removed from the .lathe and the shell orifice is then boredout by means of a milling cutter" wh ch is mounted in the usual place of pthe tail stock point of the lathe; This milling cutter carries a conical portion] which, serves to "produce a bevel in the bored part 'of the shell, and this bevel is designed to be "used for centering the shell in position for'all subsequentmachine work which is carried outuponit. v i

In the accompanying drawing, which has a purely demonstrative character,

Figure 1 represents a shell mounted upon a lathe and ready to undergo the operation of centering according to the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a crosssection of this shell, according to theline AA of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 represents a shell'mounted upon a lathe'and prepared to undergo the operation of centering, this operation being carried outby the same method but employing a device which permits the water level-in the shell to be more easily observed.

Fig. "3 is a vertical sectional view of a glass tube projecting from the supporting piece '9 shown in Fig. 3; r 1

Fi 4-showsa milling cutter for making a centering bevel in the shell.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, it will be obsorved'that in order to carry out the c'entering of the shell according to the invention, the shell is filled with colored water up to about half'its'capacity. A hollow stopper a 'endingin a glass plate I; is placed in the shell opening. The shell is mounted in a lathe "and'the boss upon the shell base is centered upon'the point of the lathe. The end "of the shell point is held in the steady rest 0 of the lathe. Observation is then made of the variations in the water level while the shell is rotated by hand upon the lathe point, this observation being carried out by the use of the marking point 0 situated in front of the glass plate.

It is evident that the portion of the shell for which the interior-volume is the smallest,

z'f. for'which the water level is highest, corresponds to a thick place in the shell. In this case the adjustment is carried out by means of the screws 4 of the collar d which rotates with the shell within the rest 0, and the end of the shell is adjusted so that the water level shall remain constant in all positions of the shell. Under these conditions the interior of the shell will be now centered on the lathe, and there will be no thick place after the shell is turned.

' The operation can be conveniently carried out by the use of the device represented in Fig. 3, which permits the water level to be easily observed. A shell which is rough on the outside is mounted on the lathe as above indicated, and the device consists essentially of a hollow stopper e covered on the outside with rubber, this stopper being fitted into the orifice of the shell. Within the stopper slides a tube f provided with a rubber ball 11. in its end lying next the shell, this ball making a tight joint andalso allowing the tube to slide according to the difierent' lengths of shell as Well as providing for the rotation of the shell and its stopper.

On the outer end of the tube 5 is mounted a steel ball which is maintaine in the supporting piece 9 by means of a stufiing-box, and this provides a ball and socket joint for use with the tube in the case of shells which have been previously bored out of center. The supporting piece 9 is mounted upon the circular holder or upon the body of the lathe and can be readily removed. It carries a glass tube i which is inclined at an angle of 10 per cent. from the horizontal, this being designed to facilitate the observation of the Water level in the shell and to amplify the variations of this level.

The operation for the centering of the shell is as follows: The shell is filled with colored water (for instance the soap water delivered by the lathe pump) through the opening 72, in the supporting piece. The air contained in the interior of the shell can escape through a groove in the top of the rubber ball, while the air in the glass tube can escape through the hole Z in the stoper 7. t p When the shell is filled up about on a level with its axis, the water level is observed at the top of the glass tube, through an opening provided in the tube carrier. The shell is then rotated by hand upon the lathe center point and about the rubber ball, whereupon the water level is seento be displaced along the glass tube, should the interior volume of the shell fail toconform to the horizontal axis. The adjustment is then made so that the water level shall remain at afixed point in all positions of the shell, this being done as above explained,

by adjusting the end of the shell by means of the four" screws mounted in the collar (5 which rotates with the shell in the steady rest 0 of the lathe. The shell having been thus centered by the use of the four screws, the-support g and the stopper 6 are removed and the opening of the shell is bored out by the use of a milling cutter m (Fig. 4), mounted in place of the point upon the lathe stock. This milling cutter carries a conical portion for cutting a bevel during the boring, and this bevel is employed for centering. the shell in all subsequent operations. In order to keep the shell from slip-V ping ofi the point of the lathe stock, during the adjustment, it is advisable to use a nut is in the collar in order to tighten the shell upon the point. On account of lack of space. or in order to facilitate the observations, it may be found necessary to adjust the leveltube at an angle of'90 from the angle shown in the drawing.

' It is understood that the above described devices are given only to illustrate the present invention, and that without departing from the essential principles of this inven tion, it will be possible to modify these devices as to shape, material, dimensions and constructional details.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A shell-centering device containing, in combination, a horizontal supporting point; a fixed circular holder whose axis is horizontal and passes through said supporting point; a collar rotating within said fixed circular holder; centering screws provided in said collar, a shell to be centered, mounted between said supporting point and said collar; a boss cast with the base of said shell and centered exactly with the inside of the shell; a liquid contained within said shell, a hollow stopper placed in the orifice of said shell, and'means for observing the variations of level of the liquid during the rotation of the shell, substantially as described and for the purpose set forth.

. 2. A shell centering device containing, in combination a horizontal supporting point; a fixed circular holder whose axis is hori zontal and passes through said supporting point; a collar rotating within said fixed circular holder, centering screws provided in said collar; a shell to be centered, mountshell, a liquid contained Within said shell, a hollow stopper placed in the orifice of said shell, a rubber ball movable Within said stopper and stopping it completely; a tube one end of Which traverses the ball While the other end is provided with a ball joint; a support mounted With the fixed circular holder and maintaining said ball joint; a cavity provided in said support communicating With said tube and provided with and an orifice for filling the shell; an inclined Water-level communicating With said cavity, substantially as described and for the purpose set forth.

8. The herein described method of centering shells, consisting in partially filling the shell With a mobile indicating medium, rotating the shell in a support whereby inequalities in said shell Will be indicated by variations in the level of said indicating medum. and thereafter adjusting said shell in its support to accurately center the interior of said shell.

4. The herein described method of centering shells, consisting in partially filling the shell With a mobile indicating medium, rotating the shell about a fixed point adjacent one end of the shell whereby inequalities in said shell will be indicated by variations in the level of said indicating medium, and thereafter adjusting the opposite end of the shell to accurately center the interior thereof.

In testimony whereof l have signed my name to this specification in the presence of tWo subscribing Witnesses.

CHARLES RAYMOND WASEIGE.

Witnesses;

LOUIS Moses, CHAs. P, PRESSLY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

